Notice Me
by TigerstripeCrayon
Summary: Sasuke is consumed by darkness, except for one girl. Too bad she's too busy chasing after somebody else. Different mixes of pairings, typically one sided. Mostly Sasu/Oc/Kiba. Rated for some swearing and violence. Warning: Spoliers in future Chapters.
1. Darkness

Alone, always alone. Darkness everywhere, starting to take over. Must find him, must avenge.

But in the darkness, a light. A star…

She was beautiful; she was strong, no matter how shy she was. She was everything, yet no one noticed her. But I noticed her.

She smiled softly as she listened to the brown haired babble head next to her, and I scowled to myself, gripping my chopsticks harder. I didn't even like Ramen, but I came here everyday, just because she always walked by, but I didn't think she'd walk by with _him_. Her smile was a sad smile, but of course, he misinterpreted it as happy. I had no way of knowing what he was talking about, but I could guess fairly well. He was probably talking about Hinata, his team mate and the girl he had a crush on. The idiot, he was completely oblivious to the obvious better of the Hyuuga girl that was right in front of him, the one that liked him, much to my own frustration.

Rosuto, her name, beautiful yet oh so fitting much to my sadness. Her name meant lost, and that was defiantly what she was. Lost to everyone's eyes, lost to anyone's love, lost to everything she deserved yet what everyone else had. She was shy like the Hyuuga, but somehow the boy before her had missed her. She stood before him, yet he had never really seen her, and had given his attention to the other girl gone unnoticed, but had gotten all of Rosuto's attention. The girl he was always chasing never noticed him though, she was always chasing after the other blabber head, the blonde knuckled headed ninja, Naruto. Then, of course the blonde liked Sakura, who liked me. It was like a total love rectangle… Or a six pointed star.

Hinata was like a comet, the part unseen that was always chasing the sun, Naruto. The sun never saw the comet, and the comet's tail was always chasing after the comet, what everyone else noticed, right behind the invisible comet. However, it was burning itself out. The comet would come around the sun, only seeing each other for a short time before the comet headed back around. Rosuto always watched the comet's tail, wishing she could reach it, but it was impossible for her. And I always watched her, waiting for when she'd stop watching the comet and find me, or the comet would burn itself out, and she would lose interest.

That day had yet to come. In fact, the girl ignored me even more than Hinata did. At least Hinata talked to me, she was polite. Rosuto… She barely even looked my way. Her eyes were always glued to the stupid Dog boy, who barely returned her gaze. He was always looking at the Hyuuga girls Byakuugan, blank white things that looked dead, unable to be read. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the Hyuuga girl, but I just don't understand what the idiot dog boy sees in her that he doesn't see in Rosuto. Or what she sees in him for that matter. Everything about her is a mystery to me.

I was the darkness. The thing that was always there, always thought of as beautiful, but never really seen. No one understood it, even though everyone thought they did. It was always cold and dark, forgotten in the light of the sun and stars.

"Hey Sasuke!" The Idiot called, grinning broadly as he pulled a flustered Rosuto over to me. I resisted the urge to snarl at him, mostly for her sake.

"Hi," I responded with my icy voice ringing out into the air, and I wasn't talking to him, but of course, _everyone_ is always talking to the egotistical bastard.

Kiba grinned sliding into the seat next to me, dragging a still overwhelmed Rosuto, who was stuttering out protests. I don't think I'd ever heard her talk so much, or be so flustered. I felt guilty about it, but I actually kind of enjoyed her acting like this. I got to see her interacting slightly, instead of the indifferent person she usually acted like.

Kiba finally released Rosuto's arm, her face turning slightly pink, not that he noticed. But I did.

"Hey Sasuke, how's Sakura?" He asked, nudging me and winking. I sat scowling at the wall, holding my chopsticks even tighter. Kiba always persisted that I was with Sakura whenever we met up, and it happened so much I didn't bother to correct him anymore.

"Fine," I grunted, staring down at my untouched Ramen bowl.

"Yo, you gonna eat that?" Kiba asked, and I sighed and pushed the bowl so it sat in front of him, earning a large grin on his face. "Thanks!"

Rosuto watched him with a small smile, a happy one. What did she see in him? Why did she like his idiotic childishness?

"So, what's up with you?" Kiba asked with a full mouth, stray noodles hanging from his mouth. Rosuto stifled a laugh, or a giggle. I couldn't tell.

I shrugged. "…Stuff, hn…"

Kiba watched me with a raised eyebrow for a moment, before he shrugged and turned his attention fully to the ramen before him.

Rosuto glanced down at her watch, her eyes widening in alarm before she hopped out of her seat and onto her feet.

"Sorry, I'm late! Bye!" She called, swiping up her bag from where it leaned against the ramen stand, running around the corner, her hair whipping behind her for a moment before it was gone too.

"Late?" I questioned, looking at the Dog boy, who shrugged and slurped up the rest of the ramen hanging from his mouth, making a deep swallow before turning to me.

"She's got training with her team, and her sensei doesn't take well too people who are late. She makes them run a whole lap on the jogging track for every minute they're late." He explained, before diving back into his ramen.

"Harsh," I commented, glancing at where she had disappeared around the corner, hoping that she made it to her training grounds as quickly as possible. The jogging track went all the way around Konoha, and more than a few laps was a near impossible feat for anyone under Gai and Lee's standards.

Kiba continued to gulp down his Ramen, and I sighed, slipping out of my seat. I grabbed my bag, heading down the road to my own training session. It didn't matter if I was late, since Kakashi showed up at least an hour later than the time planned at every meeting. The rest of us knew to just assume to meet up at least a half hour later than planned.

Sakura squealed as she saw me heading around the corner, running to meet up with me. I could see Naruto glaring at me in the background.

"Umph," I grunted as Sakura launched herself onto me, latching on.

"Sasuke-kun!" She shouted, and I sighed beneath her, gently pushing her off and onto the ground. This didn't seem to faze her, and she still watched me with excited eyes, following me as I made my way to where Naruto was leaning against the railing of the bridge.

"Hello," A voice called out and we all turned to towards it, Sakura and Naruto shouting in unison.

"YOU'RE LATE!" I mentally groaned. Why did I have to get such loud team mates?

"Sorry, sorry. There was a stray dog stuck in the middle of a stream…" He started to make up, but stopped when he saw our glares, walking up and scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, maybe this will make up for it." He handed us each a strip of paper, which we all examined.

Kakashi explained that they were for the Chuunin exams, and how to enter and all that blah blah blah.

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed when he was done, "Like those guys from that other village said they were here for!"

I remembered that. Naruto nearly started a fight with one, and I ended up hitting him with a rock. I wish Rosuto had seen that, it might have impressed her.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei, does that mean other teams are entering?" Sakura asked.

"Yes," Kakashi answered, "You'll be competing against them."

I added in, "Will we be fighting against other Konoha ninjas?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, all the rookies were entered this year."

That meant I would get to see her. I mentally smiled at the thought. But then… I might also have to fight her… But at least I'd get to see her fight.

Sakura scoffed. "Great, I have to see Ino-pig." I mentally shuddered at the thought of having fan girls hanging off me left and right, but at least only two had passed as Konoha ninja. That didn't mean I couldn't pick up more though…

"Well, I'll see you later then." Kakashi said, giving a small wave before poofing away.


	2. Reuniting with the Rookies

I watched as the sound ninja retreated to the back of the classroom after taking a swipe at Kabuto. Kabuto didn't look too good, with shattered glasses and having just thrown up.

"Is he okay?" Someone asked, and we all turned to see the last team of rookies.

Hikoya was in front, the one who had spoken. He was extremely bossy, and a bit of a control freak. He was obviously the leader of the group, not that any of the others seemed to object. He had dark brown hair that he kept tied back in a ponytail, but still had side bangs that weren't long enough to have tied back, and striking grey eyes that made a lot of people shudder under its gaze.

Another boy stood behind him, Tuyteri. He was a small boy, teased for his size in the Academy. He was the third smartest in the class, right behind Sakura and me. He had black hair that was shaggy, and tended to always have at least a piece of hair in his eyes. He had dark eyes, barely readable. He was quiet, but extremely stuck up, and didn't talk to others mostly because he didn't like them or didn't think them worthy of his time. Unlike Rosuto, who was kind and didn't talk to them because she was merely shy.

Then behind them both, someone managing to make herself smaller without hunching over or curling up, was the girl I had been searching for since we'd arrived here. Rosuto was looking at the ground, her eyes unseen by anyone. Her brown hair hung in her face, creating a curtain between her and the world. The curtain I wanted to get through, and see the real her. She was like me; she hid all her feeling from the world, leaving an indifferent shell that everyone else saw, and assumed was the real you.

"I will be." Kabuto answered, staggering to his feet and grabbing his glasses.

"Your glasses…" Sakura started with concern, but Kabuto just shrugged.

"Could have been worse," He commented, slipping them into his pocket.

"Hey," Kiba greeted the team. It was well known that Hikoya and him didn't get along, considering they were both bossy. The two shared a glare before Hikoya looked at all of us.

"Hello," He drawled out, faking a bored voice, like he was too good to be doing this.

I just grunted, while everyone exchanged hellos. Only Rosuto, Tuyteri, and I didn't speak.

"Tuyteri, Rosuto." Hikoya warned, glaring at his team mates behind him. Tuyteri sighed, before muttering a hello. I watched Rosuto, waiting.

She looked up at us, letting her hair fall away from her face, revealing her features. "Ohiyo," She murmured softly, and Hikoya rolled his eyes at his team mates.

"How did I end up with the quiet ones?" He asked to no one in particular. I almost wanted to say that I would willingly trade team mates, but I didn't. I caught Kiba glaring at Hikoya, obviously thinking he was the one who got the quieter team mates.

"Are you sure you don't want to trade just because your team mates are stronger than you and make you look weak? Because that won't work, considering you're weaker than all of us." Kiba insulted him, smirking.

Hikoya looked annoyed, glaring at Kiba. "Really? I thought that was you." He retaliated, and both boys' glared daggers, electricity dancing between their eyes like Sakura and Ino did sometimes when they were fighting.

Just as they were about to launch at each other, both girls from each of the boys' teams grabbed their arms, struggling to restrain the crazed rivals that were shouting insults at each other.

"Dog Breath!" Hikoya shouted at Kiba, struggling to free himself from Rosuto's grip.

"Girl Hair!" Kiba yelled back, thrashing against Hinata.

"Shut up!" Rosuto intervened, causing both boys to stop.

"Did you just yell?" Hikoya asked, and Rosuto immediately looked overwhelmed by all the attention.

"Um…" She started, then just decided to drag her team mate away instead, who came back to his senses and started to struggle against her, although Rosuto didn't even seen affected. Tuyteri sighed, before trekking off after his team mates which had disappeared into the crowd.

Kiba huffed, finally pulling himself out of Hinata's grasp. "Why didn't you let me at him? I swear, I'll kill him one day." He scowled.

"If Rosuto will let you," Ino giggled, and Kiba glared at her, only quieting her slightly.

"There's no way she wouldn't like that loser, no one would." Kiba refused stubbornly, turning to face us all again.

"But she already likes someone similar." Ino said, smiling as she waggled a finger at him. I mentally twitched at the thought of Rosuto's crush.

Kiba looked confused, his brow scrunching up. "What?" He asked, and Ino opened her mouth to continue, but Sakura clamped her hand over her mouth.

"It wouldn't be fair to Rosuto if we told him!" Sakura hissed, and Ino glared at her before ripping the hand off of her mouth.

"Fine," She sighed, "But you're really no fun, Billboard Brow."

"What did you say?!" Sakura screeched, and just as they were about to start again, the Examiner poofed in.


	3. Preliminaries

I obviously didn't have any trouble with the written exam, considering my Sharingan, not that I wouldn't have passed anyway. The Second exam was considerably harder, but we still passed. I didn't see Team 8 or Team 9 (Rosuto's Team) at all during the Second Exam.

Now we were just beginning the Preliminary rounds, and the first pair was being called up. We all watched the screen as it announced the names.

Hoshimyo Rosuto

Vs.

Gukoka Seroto

We all headed up to the stands watching the opponents carefully. Rosuto's opponent was looking her over like a piece of meat. I already hated him. He had greasy black hair that hung loose, his headband the only thing keeping it in place.

When we were all settled, the Examiner called the beginning of the match, and Rosuto's opponent rushed at her, his black hair flying behind him. Rosuto dodged pitifully, and the man caught her wrist, wrenching it behind her back before grabbing her other wrist and doing the same.

"Weak," He spat, and the building echoed it around the room. All of us looked over when we heard laughter, and saw Hikoya breaking down into a fit of laughter.

"You shouldn't laugh; your team mate is getting hurt!" Sakura scolded him, and Hikoya tried to stifle his chuckles.

"Just watch, she did this to me once." He said, watching the battle below with an amused face.

We all gave him odd looks, telling him he was crazy, but turned towards the battle anyway. All of a sudden, Rosuto's opponent started to yowl like an injured animal, screaming out, "What the hell, bitch?!" He let go, and Rosuto slid away calmly, watching from just outside of arms length as they man screamed. The man looked at her with absolute hatred and pain from his place panting on the floor, before he stumbled up and reached out for a startled Rosuto. The man grasped her forearms, and let one hand come away to grab a kunai from his pouch and holding it to her neck.

"You're not as strong as you think you are. Give up, and I wonted have to hurt your pretty little face." The man threatened, stroking her cheek at the end and making me clench my hands around the railing, imagining for a moment that the railing was his neck.

"Idiot," We could hear Hikoya hiss, but we all ignored him.

Rosuto raised one hand, holding it one hand sign and closing her eyes. The man watched her for a moment, before he burst out laughing.

"Nothing's happening! You're weak!" He laughed out, and I could see Rosuto stiffen when he called her weak.

The man kept laughing, and started the beginning of what was likely to be another insult, but it was suddenly cut off as he was launched into the air. Quicker than the eye, Rosuto was suddenly next to him, and she performed a series of flips around him as she dodged his attacks, while kicking as she attacked, and also preventing him from escaping. A few feet from the ground, Rosuto kicked him in the back, sending him slamming into the floor. She landed gracefully, and we all watched in anticipation to see if her opponent would recover. We continued to wait, and he didn't.

Everyone had thought that Rosuto seemed fine, strong even, but we were immediately proved wrong. She fell to her knees, starting to cough violently. Blood flew out of her mouth, spattering the floor.

Suddenly, her opponent stirred, he rolled over, revealing his eyes under a mess of greasy hair, glaring at Rosuto.

"You're dead." He hissed as he held one arm up, making one simple hand sign. Both of the people on the battle floor passed out in unison, though Rosuto's method of crumpling to the floor from her sitting position was much more impressive.

The Match was declared a tie, and both opponents were rushed away by medics. I wanted to follow, to make sure she was alright, but I was called for the next match.


	4. Sakura's Party

I had passed the Preliminaries, along with Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino, The older Hyuuga, one of the sound, and all of Sand Shinobi we encountered earlier. Both Sakura and Ino tied, along with Hikoya (Much to Kiba's delight) and Rosuto.

Sakura was throwing a party in honour of all the people who passed through. Oh, joy, fan girls stalking and glomping and screeching in my ear all night was exactly what I needed to cheer me up. Usually I wouldn't have gone, but as it turned out, I had heard Rosuto was coming. The idea seemed completely alien to me, I mean, Rosuto, at a party? It was weird, considering she was the quiet type, not the kind that seemed to like parties. My source wasn't exactly reliable, since Naruto and Sakura were trying to convince me to go, and Naruto had mentioned that Hikoya was going to drag his team mates to the party, but it was my only chance, and I was taking it.

Now, if you've actually read this far into this completely crappy story, you may be wondering when this all started, so I guess I should explain it all to you…

It started some time back in the Academy. I remember how Rosuto would always sit alone, just reading her book all lunch. I never thought much of it, after all, if she wanted to sit alone, that was her problem, right? But then I remember one day she finished her book, and just stared at all the other girls. This wouldn't have even got a shred of my attention normally, but just the look in her eyes… like she was, I don't know, pained or something… or lonely. That's what hooked me, I mean; I knew what it was like to be alone better than anyone.

I convinced myself she was just stupid. If she wanted to talk to the girls, she could just go over and do it, right? I didn't give her a second thought, and just brooded in my own darkness. Then, one day, we had to pair up and practice shuriken targets. A lot of the girls came up and asked me, but I turned them all down. I preferred to practice by myself, and the teacher didn't care if you worked alone or not. I noticed that Rosuto wasn't asked at all, and she just practiced by herself, while the other girls paired up and more talked than practiced, giggling a lot. Rosuto stayed focused on her shuriken though, and it was then I realized she really didn't want to be alone, and she wasn't stupid or a coward. She just wasn't like the other girls, and so she avoided them, even though she desperately wanted to have friends. They were too different, and they would never accept her or be able to become friends, and she saw that.

It was from then on I found myself watching her. I told myself it was merely curiosity, the want to know why she was so lonely. We were the two most silent people of the class, the astronomers that watched the stars from afar, knowing all about them but still not completely understanding, since there was always that little chance of being wrong. We may have been different in some aspects, but somehow we were also the same. However, I never got to interact with her. We worked from different places, different worlds, and we watched different people, different stars.

However, the thing about watching her, meant that I noticed who she watched, and I didn't like it.

Rosuto was always watching the stupid Inuzuka kid, even back then, and he still didn't notice. I don't know if it was a crush yet, or even if she thought it was at that point, or even noticed for that matter. All I knew was that she was always watching him, when she was one of the few girls that didn't chase after me. She was more subtle than almost everyone else in the class, who would practically declare their love. No one had noticed to this day, besides me. It drove me insane, the one girl I finally noticed and actually _liked_, she liked another guy. And a complete idiot at that.

I remember once when he shouted out in class, I snuck a glance at Rosuto, and at that moment, she smiled. And I mean _smiled. _Like a full blown, genuine, happy smile. It was the first time I'd seen (And I still haven't seen it since then) her smile like that. I immediately felt angry, thinking, why the hell did a moronic bastard like him get her attention? He didn't deserve it. I didn't completely understand it, I mean, I'd never really _hated _the dude, but suddenly I did. It was then I realized I had a crush on her.

I hated it, and I tried to insult her all the time in my mind (I never had been the type to insult people to their face.), and ignore her as much as I could. I just wanted it to _go away. _Of course, it wouldn't (Actually, it just got worse. I started to notice how pretty she was and smart and stuff… ugh.), so I eventually gave up, and my anger for the Inuzuka bastard grew. I ended up bringing a lot of it out on Naruto, since they were kind of similar.

Anyway, I guess I should come back to the present. So, Sakura's party… I was sitting on the couch in her living room, being practically choked _and_ decapitated by Ino's arms around my neck, extremely pissed off at Naruto for dragging me here.

Then, the doorbell rang, and Sakura took a break from glaring the hell out of Ino to answer the door. I didn't really watch it closely, thinking it was just the Inuzuka's team, but then a head of long dark brown hair caught my eye. There was one person in all of Konoha with hair that shade, and my head snapped up and towards them as I tried to confirm suspicions I thought couldn't possibly be true.

But there she was, practically invisible to anyone who wasn't looking from where she was hiding behind her more leader-like team mate. I noticed her though, I always did. She deserved to be noticed, but I didn't wish it on her, since she didn't seem to want the attention. She was too shy for that.

Sakura tried to start a little small talk with them, and Hikoya enthusiastically joined in. It didn't last long though, since the doorbell rang again, and Sakura left to get it. Hikoya shrugged, and strutted over to my couch, his two team mates shadowing him. He plopped down on it, splaying himself like he owned the place. He raised an eyebrow at me when he saw my position with Ino, his team mates on either side of him. I was disappointed that Rosuto ended up on the side away from me, but brushed it away. God, I swear, she was so annoying. Not her herself of course, but my crush on her. She plagued my mind, and made it near impossible to think. I hated that. What the hell would I have done if she had ended up on my team?

Hikoya opened his mouth to say something, but his undoubted question was interrupted by another voice.

"I didn't know _he_'d be here."

We all looked toward the voice, Hikoya's face sliding into a deep scowl. Rosuto didn't seem to be happy to see Kiba, since her gaze kept flickering between her team mate and him.

"Hey Sakura, I didn't know you let _dogs_ into your house." Hikoya responded, smirking at his own _brilliant_ comeback.

Kiba looked annoyed at first, before his face seemed to light up as he though of his own comeback. "Hey, any animal is smarter than you." Kiba smirked.

Hikoya twitched, and tried to lunge at Kiba, before Rosuto grabbed his arm, pulling him back into his seat.

Hikoya looked at her for a moment, before sighing and slumping back into his seat.

Kiba smirked at his victory. "Letting a girl push you around?" He teased, and Hikoya glared at him for a moment, flashing a glance to Rosuto, before sighing.

Rosuto stood up, walking around the couch, throwing a glance over her shoulder at the two boys glaring death at each other. Yes, I said death. They hated each other that much. It was then that I realized that Kiba might have avoided their team because of Hikoya, and I immediately felt bad for Rosuto. I hated Kiba beyond all belief, but I wanted Rosuto happy at the same time, and I knew that her team mate might just be ruining any chance she might have with him. Not that I was really complaining, I guess it was kind of lucky for me that the boy she liked had nearly no chance of returning the feelings, so eventually she'd stop watching the comet and look behind her to see me. Even if I was only her second choice, I might just settle for that.

Rosuto pulled Sakura over, who took one look at the boys and understood the situation.

"Um…" Sakura started, thinking of a way to intercept the problem. "Why don't we play a game?" She blurted.

Everyone looked at her weird, but Hikoya and Naruto immediately perked up at her words.

"What kind of game?" Ino asked from where she was choking me. For the first time since Team 8 (Trust me, I forgot when Team 9 walked in too, but Hikoya reminded me before his fight with Kiba broke out.) had walked in, I remembered Ino was on me.

I coughed lightly, trying to give Ino the hint to get off or at least loosen up, but she didn't seem to notice.

Sakura looked embarrassed as she scrambled for ideas, but she didn't even have a chance to voice any thoughts she might have had, because she too was interrupted.

"Since Billboard Brow is too stupid to think of something, let's play seven minutes in heaven!" Ino suggested.

Seven minutes with some fan girl that might practically suffocate me? Or maybe even a _boy_, fan or not?Yeah, I think I'll pass. But then I looked across the room to where Sakura was, or more specifically, where Rosuto was standing next to her, I suddenly reconsidered. Keeping to my reputation, I said nothing, but grunted, not giving a yes or no.

"Seven Minutes in Heaven is good!" Sakura agreed, smiling over at me and completely ignoring the insult Ino gave her. Obviously she was making a compromise, letting Ino win for a moment in their little feud, and in return she might have a chance of seven minutes in a closet with me. Her chances were miniscule, but then again, so was my chance ending up with Rosuto.

"Well, I think every girl should go twice." Sakura suggested, and I could tell this was just a little scheme so she had a better chance of ending up with me. Sakura shooed all of the girls out of the room, leaving Naruto in charge of making all the guys make slips with something on them and hand them into a hat, before she disappeared to wherever the girls were.

Naruto seemed absolutely ecstatic, probably from the possibility of ending up with Sakura. He wasn't the only excited one though, and Kiba was talking along with him.

I felt anger course through me as Kiba talked about how great Hinata was, and how he liked her for her. All the other girls he talked about like pieces of meat, mentioning a lot of girls outside of the party, but he didn't even mention Rosuto once. I wanted him to notice her, for her sake, but at the same time, I think I would've socked him if he talked about Rosuto like the other girls. Not something I wanted to deal with later, which was why I had yet to fight him. That was Hikoya's territory, and I'd just have to revel in the satisfaction of when he made him upset, even though I hadn't caused it.

Nearly all of the girls had gone once. Ino with Shikamaru (He fell asleep), Sakura with Shino (Nothing happened there, it was dead silent.), Naruto with Hinata (When we opened the door Hinata had passed out), and now it was Rosuto's turn.

I waited anxiously as she reached into the hat, her hand shuffling through it for what felt like an eternity. Finally, she pulled out a slip of paper, but she had the paper ripped from her hands and was pushed into the closet before she could probably even see it.

"A star?" Ino called out, and I was sure that time stopped for a moment.

_I _ had put in a star. Please, don't let this be some twisted joke that god was playing on me. I stared ahead in disbelief for a moment, before I suddenly found my feet and stood up.

Ino and Sakura jaws dropped, and I could see Sakura shove the slip back into the hat and pull out another one. She started to make up an excuse, "Sorry, that was a mistake! It was supposed to be-"

But she was cut off. "Sakura-chan, we saw you put the slip back in. You can't cheat." Naruto scolded, and I was blown over by how mature he sounded. I gave him a nod of gratitude, but he obviously missed it. Whatever, if he had understood it, he probably would have revealed to the world my crush on Rosuto, and then things would _not _turn out well.

I walked into the closet, and it closed and locked behind me with a soft click. I don't know who closed it, but I didn't really care. Thinking I would look like an idiot if I tried to feel my way around (even if she probably couldn't see me), I sat down where I was.

"Who is this?" I heard her voice sound through the closet, and my heart thumped wildly as I remembered that she had been pushed in here before she could see who she got, and she probably hadn't seen me after I came in, since the door closed so fast.

I thought of lying about who I was, pretending to be Kiba so she might like me, even if it was only for seven minutes. Thinking that might be mean, I compromised. I wouldn't tell her who I was, hoping that I could talk to her for the time in here.

"Who's in here?" She asked again, probably thinking I hadn't heard her.

"Uh… Weather's nice?" I scrambled, but immediately felt like an idiot. I was alone in a dark, cramped closet with the girl I had been crushing on since I was little, and all I could talk about was the weather?

She remained silent, before I thought I heard a soft giggle. Wait, a giggle? It was so un-Rosuto like, yet I wanted to hear it again so badly.

"Did you make the Chuunin Exams?" She asked, and the tone of her voice made me doubt that she had ever giggled at all.

I nodded, but realized she couldn't see it. "Yeah," I answered.

"Hmm…" She muttered, and then I realized what she was up to. She was trying to figure out who I was. And she'd already eliminated a bunch of people.

My eyes finally adjusted, and I could make out her form. I couldn't make out any features though, and prayed it was the other way around too. Then, I realized it was actually better if she did see me, considering that I had no idea how she felt about me, and by talking to her when she knew who I was, it might tell me.

"Can you see?" I asked, and she looked at me again, her eyes flashing in the darkness, before they locked on my hair. My telltale hair, duckbutt styled hair. She'd defiantly know who I was now.

"Oh-" She started, but I cut her off by shuffling along the floor so I could sit next to her. She seemed startled at first, and I really didn't want to startle her, but the feeling of her warmth seeping out to me enticed me onwards. It fogged my brain to cancel any usual instincts or reflexes, or even rational thought. Then I was sitting next to her.

Suddenly the bare skin on my arm was brushing hers, and it felt like electricity was coursing up from where we'd touched. Like the way pain spikes up your arm when you hit that certain spot on your elbow, but pleasant instead of painful.

"I- I-" she stuttered, obviously overwhelmed.

Her scent was like my own personal mind wipe, and I found myself leaning closer to her as I inhaled the intoxicating mix of vanilla and other scents, the most beautiful the one I couldn't place, the one I knew was her core smell.

I heard a creak from beside me, but all I could sense was her, as everything about her overwhelmed my senses. I cut off the stutter I was sure she was about to give, pressing my lips against hers. It was the most amazing feeling, indescribable, but it still didn't feel right, like something was missing. She wasn't kissing back.

"What the hell, dude?!" Someone yelled, causing me to recoil away from Rosuto and sit statue still against the wall, acting like nothing had happened, though I already knew whoever was at the door at the time had seen.

The light blinded me, and I blinked as my eyes adjusted. Just as they did, I saw Hikoya glaring down at me. Rosuto slinked up from her place on the floor next to me, moving past Hikoya with a quick glance at him, but I didn't catch the emotion in it, considering she was facing away from me.

Hikoya glared at me for a moment longer, before turning on his heel and heading off after Rosuto, who slunk over to her other team mate, trying to disappear next to him. But I knew that was impossible, I had cursed her to be noticed for a long time to come, maybe even forever. One kiss from the idol of every girl had sent her into her own hell.

Hikoya stalked over to where the two were, his anger visibly dissolving as he got closer, fizzling out into concern.

"You okay?" He asked as he placed a hand lightly on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly and look at him. I slunk out of the closet, but everyone's eyes were glued to Rosuto.

"Why should it matter if she's okay or not?" A cold voice cut through the air, and everyone looked to see it belonged to Tuyteri. "She doesn't deserve our attention, she's weak, and if she can't protect herself, it isn't our problem if she's hurt or not."

Hikoya glared at his male team mate, taking his hand off of Rosuto's shoulder since we could all see it clenching into a fist. "What makes you say that?" He asked, his voice shaking slightly from anger.

Tuyteri stared right back at Hikoya, unfazed by his anger. "She's a coward, she's never hit anyone. She didn't even react when he did that to her. If she didn't have her bloodline, she probably would've died by now."

Hikoya's whole body started to shake, and I felt like socking the dude myself.

"What-?!" Hikoya started to shout, but he was cut off by the sound of the door hitting its frame. We all stared at it for a moment, before Hikoya looked at Tuyteri for a brief moment, snarling, "Look what you've done," before stalking out the back door after Rosuto.

Everyone had been so focused on Hikoya and Tuyteri, everyone had forgotten about Rosuto. For once, everyone hadn't been watching her, including me. She had turned completely invisible, and had used the chance to slip away, to be gone forever.


	5. Stream Side Comfort

I sat at the edge of a stream, the one I used to come to as a kid. I had only showed one other person this place, but I knew he would be the one chasing after me.

Everyone probably thought we were crushing on each other by now, but it was nothing like that. We loved each other, but it was like family, a deep bond that was unbreakable, something no one else could understand.

"I knew you'd be here." A voice murmured, and I didn't have to look back to know who it was. He also knew that I didn't have to say hello for him to be invited to sit, so he did, and we sat staring at the stream for a few silent moments.

"He hates me, doesn't he?" I finally spoke, my eyes still staying on the dark water that reflected the night sky above.

Hikoya sighed. "He hates everyone." He said, but it didn't comfort me.

"He's right though," I started, and Hikoya looked at me. "I am a coward. I haven't hit anyone since…" I trailed off, and Hikoya remained silent, knowing I would talk when I was ready. "I'm afraid." I finally whispered.

Hikoya shuffled closer to me, putting his arm around my shoulder and pulling me gently towards his warmth. "Stop, you're only hurting yourself." He whispered into my hair as he laid his head on top of mine.

"Like it matters, everyone else has already hurt me enough, why should a little self bullying do any worse?" I chuckled, but it was a hollow sound.

"I never hurt you." Hikoya whispered, and I leaned further into him.

"I know," I murmured, "And I know you never will, but that doesn't mean you can protect me from everything else."

He sighed into my hair. "Then you need to learn to stand up for yourself."

"I'm afraid." I repeated.

He kissed the top of my head. "Don't be, there's nothing you should be afraid of. Tuyteri doesn't realize it yet, but you're the strongest of us all."

I chuckled my hollow laugh again.

"It's true." He insisted. "True bravery is the ability to face your fears."

"Right, and I'm strong because I'm afraid of everything."

It was Hikoya's turn for the hollow chuckle as he pulled his head off of my own, to look me in the eyes. "Everyone is, my dear. You just have the decency to admit it."

I smiled at that, but it slipped after a few moments. "I'm weak, and cowardly. There's never been a time when I could protect myself, or anyone else."

Hikoya sighed. "Please stop, none of it's true."

"Really?" I choked out, "Because if I was strong, don't you think people would notice me? Like me? If I was strong, don't you think I could have protected them?"

"Rosuto, stop." Hikoya ordered, holding me close again as my breath become slightly more ragged. This was my form of crying. I had long ago wasted all of my tears, all real crying, all of my sadness.

"Why?" I asked after I'd finally calmed down some.

"Because everyone's an idiot," Was his reply, causing me to laugh lightly.

Hikoya was smiling as he pulled away again, letting his hands fall to his sides.

"It's true," He insisted as he pulled me to my feet, "Everyone really is an idiot."

I smiled and poked some fun back at him, "Including you."

Hikoya glared at me, but it was playful. "Yeah, I'm probably the biggest one." He admitted, smiling. "Come on; let's get some ice cream and head home. I'll call Sakura to let her know we're okay."


	6. Suicide?

Only a moment. One moment is all you need for your world to end. A simple mistake, a blunt weapon, slow reflexes. A million possibilities, all an option of your demise. The chances were defiantly increased by being a ninja, yet somehow, I never imagined ending quite like this.

Another option: The voluntary one. Suicide, as I was more commonly known. And right now, it was oddly appealing to me as I watched the icy water of the river beneath the bridge. One simple jump, and the cold, the pressure, the lack of air, it could all kill me.

An easy way to make it all end, to make me forget, to go back in time to be with my parents and believe it all to be a dream.

I remember this river. Itachi used to take me here as a kid in the summer, to watch the fish pass under the bridge.

I closed my eyes, inhaling the cold air, sharp in my nose, waking up my senses. What would it be like to jump into the water? Would it be numbing, or like knives? I found it odd how I could be so calm, thinking of death and pain. Or more specifically, my own death and pain.

I sighed, opening my eyes to watch the cloud of breath float off into the air, disappearing just to be replaced by another puff of air.

Tearing my eyes away from the air, I eyed the bridge railing. In an act of recklessness, I climbed up and over it, standing on the small edge of the bridge sticking out from the other side of the railing, but I still had to clutch to the railing to keep from falling.

Slowly, I looked around, revelling in the memories. Then, with a soft sigh, I jumped.

The sensation of falling grasped me for a moment, cold air whipping past and a sudden lurching in my stomach. But it only lasted a few moments, and then my arm was wrenched from its socket as something caught it. I heard a grunting, and then I was slowly pulled in the other direction, up. I scrambled for a moment, but I finally caught hold of the railing, and shook off the person's arm as I scrambled back over the railing and onto the bridge, my cool demeanour slipping into place as my mind scrambled for excuses.

However, my mind stopped in its tracks when I saw the person's face.

Why… Why of all people, did she have to be the one that saved me? The one that could make guilt and regret take over my body at the simplest mistake, the only living reason I had held on this long.

"Idiot, what the hell were you thinking?" The sharpness of her voice surprised me, along with the sound of it in the dead silent air.

"I was thinking I felt like jumping off a bridge." I mocked sarcastically, but like me when anyone joked, she was not amused.

"You are so selfish." She said as she crossed her arms across her chest, trying to resist shivers in the cold. "Do you know how many people care about you? Try to understand you, try to make you belong? How many people would risk their lives for you? And you're just going to throw it all away and disappoint everyone? Throw away all their hard work and their feeling, all on your own selfish whim?"

I glared at her, but she was suddenly glaring right back at me, with a ferociousness I didn't know she had. Her glare hit me to my soul, and it was like she damaged it. If looks could kill, eh? And I hadn't even known she could glare…

"You wouldn't understand, no one understands." I murmured.

She raised an eyebrow at me, but her expression had softened. "Of course we don't, nearly none of us knows what happened to you, and you don't want to tell us. It seems to me that you don't want people to understand. And yet, despite it all, that still doesn't mean people don't try, Sasuke." The way she said my name sent shivers down my name, even if she just said it normally. Just saying my name at all had sent my senses into overdrive.

I reverted to my usual line of escape from most topics, "Revenge is my only goal, I need no one."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Not much of a goal keeper, are you? Considering you just tried to kill yourself, and end your ambition. People care about you Sasuke, but I don't think anyone will complete your revenge for you, Sasuke."

And before I could respond, she turned on her heel, her hair whipping around her back in a half circle, and stalked off.


	7. Ramen Meet Up

I never tried to commit suicide again. Instead, I put all my heart, soul, body and mind into my training. Kakashi had trained me for the main matches, and I could feel myself becoming even darker, yet stronger. I needed to embrace the darkness to find strength, fight side by side with it, instead of letting it swallow me like in death.

I had learned Chidori, and I could already tell I was much stronger than before. The Chuunin Exams were over now, but that didn't mean I still hadn't learn everything, that I wasn't as strong.

Of course, in the hospital, I had been visited every day by Ino and Sakura, being given a flower every time. I also nearly killed Naruto, but that's a story for another time… What I truly found myself focusing on there was the door as I waited to see her shade of hair, noticing the darkness within me nudging to get control. She didn't come though, and I remembered how she probably didn't even know I was injured. For all I knew, she was still in the hospital, and maybe even dead. Bad thought, bad thought…

My curse mark hadn't activated at all since then, and I still had no idea how to feel on the matter of it. Everyone wanted me to hate it, yet I just couldn't seem to. If I unlocked it, I could unlock unimaginable power along with it, and finally achieve my goal of revenge. It was extremely appealing, and I found myself thinking of more and more reasons to unlock it and leave Konoha, and less and less reasons to stay.

Of course, right now, I sat at the Ramen stand, with my two team mates next to me chatting and laughing and bumping me.

"I think you might be killing him from annoyance." Someone laughed, and we looked to see Hikoya sliding into the seat next to Naruto. "But then again, if you keep this up, he might kill you first."

Rosuto slid into the seat next to him, her hair up in a bun with chopsticks sticking out of wearing it down like she usually did. She also wore a light blue sweater and black yoga pants, and high heeled sandals instead of her usual ninja wear. A lot of people were dressing differently for the Chuunin Exams. Rosuto smiled softly at us.

"Where's Tuyteri?" Sakura asked politely.

Hikoya scowled at the mention of the name. "How am I supposed to know?" He grumbled, glaring at the wall like Tuyteri was standing before it.

Rosuto placed a light hand on his arm, causing him to look at her. "Calm down, you don't need to be mad at him. It's between me and him." She consoled in a smooth voice. I couldn't help but notice that she seemed more upbeat or outgoing than she usually did.

Hikoya sighed, putting an elbow up on the counter before placing his head against it. "I can't just forgive him. I seriously don't know how you do it."

Rosuto smiled. "Come on, we have training soon." She said, pulling him up from his place against the counter.

"See ya later!" Hikoya yelled as the two retreated, Rosuto laughing softly at his childishness.

Damn, she didn't like _both_ of them, did she? This was way more complicated than I wanted it to be…


	8. Mission with Idiots?

I had a mission. I know, not the most exciting beginning ever, but hell, I don't exactly have tons of experience with writing. (Especially considering Sasuke has been hogging the story so far…)

Anyway, yeah so I had a mission, but it wasn't with my usual team. They wanted to give it to my team, but apparently the mission included finding something, so we needed a tracker. And yeah, it was just my luck the tracker we got stuck with. The sensei's thought that it would give us more practice on being leaders and working on our own if we didn't have a sensei with us. Oh, and just to make it more fun, they took Tuyeri out of our team just for this mission because Kiba was coming instead.

Yeah, this was totally going to be the funnest mission I'd ever had.

So, now that you understand the whole point of the mission, I might as well bring you where our team was having the most awkward silence ever. Okay, maybe not that awkward, but it was pretty bad.

"So…" Hikoya started, swinging his arms.

"So…?" Kiba prompted, smirking at him with a raised eyebrow. Hikoya looked at me to see if I would finally break and let him punch Kiba's lights out, but he saw one look at my face and sighed. He slumped, dragging his feet as we continued on.

"Boys," I muttered to myself, shaking my head.

Hikoya heard me anyway. "He's not a boy, he's a dog." He muttered bitterly.

I rolled my eyes. How did I end up on a mission with what was likely to be the two most childish ninjas in Konoha…? Not that I was really complaining too much, I mean Hikoya was my best friend, and Kiba was… Well, I don't really know what we were, but I guess I could just call him my (hopeless, unending, bitterly annoying…)

crush.

Both boys watched each other warily, as if expecting either to lunge at them at any moment. I sighed, grabbing both of their wrists and starting to drag them out of impatience and annoyance.

"What are you-?!" Kiba started, but Hikoya cut him off,

"I wouldn't if I were you; you seriously don't know what she can do if you piss her off."

I looked over my shoulder to see Kiba looking puzzled, and he opened his mouth to reply.

"She's just a girl, and besides, she didn't even make it through the Preliminaries." Kiba said.

I rolled my eyes, trying to curb the hurt I felt, but dropped the boys' arms and walked alone.

We reached our destination shortly after, and the people there let us stay for a night, giving us the information we needed.


	9. Found a scroll! And a bunch of enemies

Kiba stopped in the middle of the road, sniffing the air.

"We're here," He announced seriously, and Hikoya rolled his eyes.

"Duh, could've guessed that from the giant temple up there." He said, pointing up the hill at the great red temple at the top of the hill, where the scroll (What we were trying to get) was supposedly kept.

Kiba glared back at him, but said nothing, and trudged up the hill. Hikoya rolled his eyes at him, but followed without objection. I trudged after them.

We walked into the temple, but nothing greeted us but stale air. It was oddly creepy.

Kiba looked around, with a surprised and triumphant expression.

"Easy," He said, reaching out and grabbing the scroll from its place on a pedestal, before either of us could object.

Kiba turned on his heel, sauntering out the temple and back down the hill, with Hikoya and I scrambled after him.

"Are you _trying _to get us killed?!" Hikoya spat at him, finally catching up and grabbing his shoulder, spinning him around roughly to face us.

Kiba rolled his eyes as I caught up to the two of them. "Do you see anyone around?" Kiba asked, lifting his hands up in the air.

Kiba got himself out of Hikoya's grip, and started to strut down the road, shoving the scroll into his weapon's pouch.

Hikoya and I exchanged a glance before following after him.

Hikoya and I continued to watch around us warily, sure that it couldn't be as simple as that. Kiba just breezily tried to reassure us that everything was fine.

How could I have missed his lack of seriousness during missions? This was absurd. Now I wanted to punch his lights out.

I could suddenly sense people now.

"Hikoya…" I hissed.

"I know…" He whispered back.

A kunai shot out of the bushes, and I launched myself forward, knocking Kiba out of the way as we landed on the ground with me on top. I could hear the kunai hit a tree on the other side of the road with a muffled 'shunk'

"What the hell?!" He shouted as he shoved me off roughly, pushing me onto the ground. I didn't waste time arguing with him, and leaped to my feet, pulling a kunai out.

"We've got company." Hikoya said, just as at least a dozen ninja jumped down from the trees, surrounding us.

Kiba scrambled to his feet with a growl, pulling out a kunai of his own. We moved inwards, so we were back to back.

"Any brilliant ideas?" Hikoya hissed.

"Give us the scroll, and you won't get hurt." One ninja said, stepping forward. He obviously seemed to be the leader.

"Run?" Kiba suggested, before telling the other ninja, "No way!"

Without consulting us, he suddenly shot off into the trees, and Hikoya and I closed the gap he had left so we were back to back. A few ninja broke off from the group to chase after Kiba, but majority stayed.

In unison, all of the ninja pulled out shuriken and threw them at us. We blocked as many as we could, but I felt three hit me, two in my right thigh and one on my left arm. I could hear Hikoya draw in a hiss of breath behind me, and knew he'd been hit too.

"Give us the scroll." The leader repeated, pulling out a katana and walking forward. All of the ninja wore either black or grey, with hood and masks. The man pulled off his mask as he walked closer.

"I only reveal my face to those I kill." He said, pulling back his hood so we could clearly see his face. A snarl erupted from my throat before I could stop myself.

"Rosuto?" Hikoya questioned with a croaky voice.

"Shit." Was all I replied with a hiss.

Hikoya growled in frustration, turning back to the man that had circled around us so he was in front of Hikoya.

"Run," I whispered, and the two of us launched off into the trees in the same direction Kiba went, a bunch of shouting behind us before we heard the sound of the ninja's pursuit.

Hikoya choked out a sound I couldn't place, stumbling before picking up his pace, but he was limping slightly.

"What's wrong?" I asked with concern, but Hikoya didn't respond, clenching his teeth.

"Nothing," He croaked out, and I didn't press further, though I knew he was lying.

The sound of weapons pierced through the air, and Hikoya and I jumped apart to avoid them. We didn't avoid well, and I felt another set of shuriken pierce me from behind, and I gritted my teeth to prevent from shouting out. Hikoya fared worse though, and he tumbled from the trees, falling head first.

"Hikoya!" I shouted, jumping off the branch I was on, and rocketing after him.

I managed to grab him before his decent ended, pulling us both onto a branch.

"I can't… I can't walk…" Hikoya managed between the clenching of his teeth.

I took his arm, draping it around my shoulders before gently pulling him up.

"No," Hikoya started, but I'd already taken off. The enemy ninja were closer now. "I'm only going to slow you down. You'll die if you try to save me."

My eyes stayed focused on the path ahead.

"Rosuto, don't do this. Save yourself, or we'll both die."

I wanted to tell him I didn't care, or that I should've died a long time ago, so it shouldn't matter now. There were a million things I wanted to tell him, but instead I said nothing.

Shuriken pierced the air again, and I winced when they made contact, but continued on. I held onto Hikoya with one hand, and used my other hand to make a hand sign.

"Light element: Blind" I whispered, and I could hear screams behind me, and could imagine the men clawing at their eyes. I started to pant harder. That technique wasn't hard, but any chakra loss or exertion made everything harder.

We continued on, Hikoya and I using some jutsus, but they didn't seem to be slowed down very significantly, and even the ones we hurt didn't affect the rest.

I gritted my teeth as I struggled to keep ahead of our opponents, while still carrying Hikoya. He had given up begging me, but his eyes still pleaded with me to let him go.

I stumbled on a branch, and couldn't catch myself. I fell to the ground, tumbling with Hikoya still in my grip. Somehow I managed to twist us in the air, so I landed on the bottom, taking the impact.

Hitting ground was like I was running into a freight train, and Hikoya slamming into me shortly after didn't help. Blood found its way up my throat, and I coughed it up.

Struggling to my feet, I pulled Hikoya back up and slung his arm over my shoulders, trying to take off again.

My legs gave out beneath me, but I wasn't about to give up. Gritting my teeth, I dug my feet into the ground and struggled forward beneath Hikoya's weight.

"Kiba!" I shouted out, in hopes he could hear me, and would come help us. Right now, he was about my only hope. "Kiba! _Kiba!_" My voice grew louder, screaming the last time, cracking as I could feel myself wanting to cry. My legs gave out under me again, and I collapsed to the ground, Hikoya landing on top of me and rolling off, and ended up lying on his stomach next to me.

Sobs struggled up to my throat, and I bit my lip and clenched my teeth to prevent them. They were a distraction, a thing of stupid emotion that merely showed weakness, and did nothing. My muscles ached, and I knew I had pushed my limit. I couldn't even pick myself up, let alone run and carry Hikoya.

"Rosuto…" My name made my turn to Hikoya, his face was oddly pale, and his hair looked limp and stuck to his sweaty face, despite my being the one who carried the other. He smiled weakly as his arm reached out, and I wanted to object, to tell him to save his strength, but no words came. His hand reached my face, and he gently stroked my cheek. "Don't cry. I'm sorry, this is my fault. You shouldn't have saved me. Maybe one of us could have made it out." His gentle smile graced his face, and it made me want to choke out more tears, being marred by the situation and the blood and sweat mix running down his face.

"Idiot," I choked out, part sob, part laugh. His smile widened slightly, before I could exhaustion wipe over his face, and his eyes droop. "Hikoy-"

I really wonder who shoved a pole up god's ass and blamed me for it, because I really have to go and kill them later. Our luck just kept getting better, because at that moment, I was cut off by the sound of weapons whizzing throw the air and I blacked out.


	10. Missing

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

I paced just outside of the Ramen shop. I had been waiting here for a few hours already, worried out of my mind. Where the hell was she? She always passed by this way. Sure, I heard she had a mission, but it was supposed to have ended a few days ago. She couldn't have…? Damn, stop thinking that! She must be fine, she was always fine…

Still, I couldn't help but worry.

Then a head of brown hair caught my eye. Not the shade I had been watching for all day, but it would do. I stalked over to him, grabbing his shoulder so he spun around to face me.

"Hey Sasuke…" He started before he saw the look on my face, then his forehead scrunched up in worry. "Is something wrong…?"

I growled wiped my hand down my face to try to clear my thoughts and bad feelings. "I heard you went on a mission-"

His face lit up. "Yeah!" He interrupted me. "I was with Rosuto and Girly." He smiled brightly after his use of the Team 9 leader's nickname.

"… and what happened?" I prompted.

Inuzuka shrugged. "Not much, we had to get a scroll and deliver it safely. I took it, and then we were surrounded, but I got away and managed to beat up the ones that followed me, and outrun the ones that survived." He smirked, talking like it was the greatest accomplishment ever. He was probably just trying to outdo me. Whatever it was, I still wanted to sock him.

I growled softly, pinching my nose to calm myself. "… and your team?"

I looked up briefly to see a look of surprise dawn on Kiba's face. "Oh sh-"

"Hey Sasuke!" I looked over to see Sakura running over to me, and sighed. Judging from Kiba's reaction, whatever happened on the mission wasn't good, and I really didn't want to deal with Sakura right after I got the news.

"Bye," I cut her off before she could speak, walking off to leave her with an open mouth and confused expression. Not that I cared. I had no time to be guilty; my mind was plagued with visions of bloodstained hair that certain shade of brown.

On my way to stalking off into oblivion however, I ran into the sound four.


	11. Pain

Ugh, my head hurt. No scratch that, it was like I had an explosion going off every few seconds in the same corner of my mind and a group of cats cooped up in there and trying to scratch their way out, and a migraine on top of that. Yeah, it hurt a lot.

I groaned and tried to roll over, and all my muscles screamed with the movement. Damn, what happened? Did I fall off a tower the height of Kiba's ego or something?

My eyes blinked open, and even my eyelids hurt. I guessed that was mostly because I was tired, or they were stiff because I was asleep so long. Where was I anyway?

I let my head fall to the side, getting a little piece of hair in my mouth in the process which I proceeded to spit out with quite a bit of gusto.

As I was sputtering, I heard a shuffling in the hallway outside of the room I was in. My body froze as I listened to the sound. I closed my eyes to try to fake sleep, and tried to force my body to relax.

The shuffling reached just outside the door of my room, and I had to try even harder to keep my limbs relaxed. The door opened with a creak, and the shuffling I could now match with a person's feet reached my bedside. I could smell something warm, and my stomach tensed with the anticipation of food. Okay, how long had I been here? I'm normally full after a small amount of food, allowing me to be naturally skinny. Anyway, the point was that this feeling of so much hunger was alien to me.

A cold hand touched my cheek, and I couldn't resist the shiver that pulsed through me. In this situation, I didn't exactly want to be touched.

"She's awake!" The person called down the hall, and I silently cursed myself. If I was in a bad situation, this could mean the worst. If they brought in reinforcements, I might never be able to escape.

To my relief, only the sound of one person followed the call. To preoccupy my thoughts, I analyzed the voice. It was young, but older than the teen years. It was defiantly female, but I didn't recognize it. I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or worried.

Deciding there was no reason to continue to feign sleep, I opened my eyes to be met with the chocolate brown eyes of what seemed to be woman around her twenties.

"Hello." She had an exotic accent, but I couldn't place from where. All I knew was that her voice was very warm, not at all like a ninja. She wasn't even dressed like a ninja, in thick but brightly coloured clothes that wrapped around her body. Still, looks could be deceiving.

"What 'appeened?" She asked, her eyes widening in alarm as I tried to sit myself up. "No, no, you shall lie."

She gently pushed me back down, but despite her gentleness, she touched a wound on my shoulder, causing me to flinch. She apologized with her eyes.

"She ees awake?" Another voice said, and my head flipped to the side to see another woman. She was dressed similarly, but she was much older, with greying hair that reached around her shoulders instead of the waist lengthy dark brown hair of the young woman. Her eyes were dark, and her eyes pierced me with one look, seeming to look through me. It made me feeling oddly exposed and vulnerable, never a good feeling for a ninja. "You leeve too much from ze book my dear." She said, coming to my bedside. The younger woman left the chair for the old woman to take instead, standing at the edge of the room, watching me like an exotic zoo animal.

I returned my attention to the old woman, and we had a staring contest for a long few minutes, before her laughed and shook her head, smiling. The shake of her head sent the bead necklaces on her neck shaking.

"You have a strong soul, my dear." She said in her croaky voice, all trace of an accent gone. She obviously saw the look on my face, and smiled a toothy grin instead of just with her lips, revealing yellowing teeth. "The accent? Yes, it seems to catch on being around my niece, but I have none. I just find it fun speaking that way."

I wanted to laugh softly and smile with her, but I didn't. Who knew where danger was?

The old woman seemed to read my thoughts, and her smile slipped from her voice. She shook her head again. "My dear, don't you think that if I wanted to do something to you, I would have done it by now?" She pierced me with her inhuman grey eyes again. "Foolish, you doubt yourself because you lack physically, you only see weakness. What you don't see is that you have a strong soul, and so much potential."

I stared at her. Alright, it was official; this woman was defiantly on something.

The old woman stood, brushing invisible dust off her clothes. She muttered something to the young woman as she left, and the young woman took back the seat next to my bed.

"Ahntie ees odd, no?" She commented, smiling with bright white teeth the opposite of the old woman's. "Well…" The woman shifted uncomfortably, frowning. "Would you like to see your free-end?"

My eyes widened, and I suddenly remembered everything. I sat bolt upright in the bed, and the woman grew alarmed, gently placing her hands on my chest to keep me from bolting out of bed.

"Calm down, he ees zare." She said, pointing behind her.

In a bed across from me, lay an unconscious Hikoya, battered and bruised. He seemed dirty, but I was more concerned about his wellbeing than that of the white bed sheets at the moment.

"Shit," I whispered, crawling out of bed, the woman's hands now weak as she let me slid past her and onto the floor beside Hikoya's bed. My hand moved on its own accord, and I found it sliding across the top of the bed and finding Hikoya's hand.

His eyes fluttered open at the contact, dull and exhaustion evident in them. I had never seen him like this, and I didn't like it. Hikoya was always the strong one, who comforted me when I was weak. Never had the roles been reversed before, and I didn't like it. I didn't know how to comfort someone.

Hikoya smiled weakly at me. "Look, tears, love." He whispered, wiping away the trickle of liquid I hadn't realized had been making its way down my face. I gently fell onto the bed, gingerly laying my head on his chest and wrapping my arms around him, trying to avoid injuries. His own arms wrapped around me, and he stroked my hair for a moment. Both of us had a million useless comforts, but both of us knew they were pointless, like promises we couldn't keep. So we just held each other.

Eventually, Hikoya pushed me away. "Be strong," He started.

"Hikoya, you shouldn't talk." I croaked.

He shook his head, rubbing the dirt on his head onto his pillow. "I don't care. It isn't much use now, is it?" He sighed, and looked me in the eyes. The grey eyes I loved, cold to all, but warm to me. We were the two people that refused to open up to anyone, yet somehow we had ended up being closer than any two people could be, revealing everything about ourselves. "Show them what you're made of, don't let people push you around. You let your fears rule you, and what other people think of you. It's ruining your life, and I'm not going to let you do it anymore. Be strong, for me?" He gave where he was holding my forearms a slight squeeze.

I nodded.

"Smile," He reminded me, and his words squeezed a small, but sad smile out of me, brought out by he himself, not the command.

He put his hand on my cheek for a moment, before it went slack and fell, his eye lids closing as well.

I reached out and gently held his hand again, but I knew he couldn't feel it anymore. Stupid boy, he just had to get himself killed. A few tears slid out of my eyes. Hikoya was so much stronger than me; he would've gone so much farther. His family was prestige. He was already noticed by everyone, and he had such a future ahead of him. He had all of his family's techniques to learn, a great future set out for him as the head of his clan. Everything he could've had… It was nothing I could accomplish. Never in my dreams could I reach as far as Hikoya.

I finally let go of his hand, realizing I was alone in the room. Then I realized I might look the same as Hikoya, battered and bruised. I looked down, and saw that I was covered in dirt and grim, mainly dried blood. Whether it was mine or not, I had no idea.

Avoiding looking at Hikoya's face, I found my bag (Which was surprisingly intact) and got out some new clothes. I changed into them, before slinging my bag on my shoulders. I didn't care that I was covered in grim.

The young woman peeked into the room, gasping at me.

"No, no." She scolded, sliding the bag off my shoulders. She led me down the hall and what seemed to be the bathroom, she nearly started to clean me herself, but I kicked her out before she could. I didn't mean to be rude, but I wasn't exactly in the best mood. I wanted to find anyone who so much as poked Hikoya, and kill them. Yeah, I was pissed.

I flipped on the shower and stripped, stepping in without testing the water. It was burning hot, but I didn't care.


	12. The End

The people there were very good for me, and let me stay until I was healthy. I learned that the young woman's name was Marie, though I rarely saw the old woman, and when we did meet, she would merely stare at me with her piercing grey eyes that made me have to look away because they reminded me of Hikoya.

They let me bury Hikoya, and I trekked around until I found a field of flowers, and decided to bury him there. He lived flowers, though he would never tell anyone because he didn't want to be called girly.

Now, I had bid farewell to the two kind women, and was trekking my way home. I hated leaving the killers hanging, but I couldn't face them now. I wasn't strong enough.

I only had one place left to go: Konoha. I didn't consider it home anymore, I hadn't for a long time, but where else was I supposed to go? Sure, I'd considered suicide before, but I had a goal I needed to complete before I could die. Other people, they all had something… The ones who were alone, they had places to go. Sasuke… Everyone loved him, even if he left, he could go to sound. Naruto… He may be annoying, but even though he thought he wasn't getting any attention, there was a lot of people who admired him. He had the dream of becoming Hokage, and he wouldn't give up until he'd accomplished it.

What did I have? I didn't have a dream, I didn't have friends.

All I had was a promise, one I intended to keep to the death.


	13. Note to Readers

Note to Readers:

For those far and inbetween who are waiting for this story, it has been continued in the Sequel! You can find it with my other stories, under the title 'Blades'.

Thanks for Reading!

Tigerstripe


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